Annual Meeting - Registration Closes Sunday at Midnight!

November 7-9 at the Hilton Lisle/Naperville

Online Registration is www.iafp.com or click here

Here's your chance to ask the question everyone wants the answer to.  The opening plenary session at the annual meeting is about GetCoveredIllinois.gov and Medicaid expansion.   Click here to submit your question(s).   

High-quality CME, committee meetings, the awards banquet and even a wine tasting also await you.  Our meeting is centrally located in DuPage County - easy to access and with FREE parking!  Check out our list of exhibitors with ideas and options for you!  Naperville also offers fantastic activities for families. Check out the meeting schedule. Register online or download a registration form here.  You should have received a brochure in the mail, or you can check it out on our website.

Upcoming Events

Saturday, November 2 has been designated as a big push day for GetCoveredIllinois for Marketplace and Medicaid application assistance. 

PCC Wellness Center has shared info on two events they are hosting this Saturday - one in Berkley and one in Berywn. 

Link to a statewide database of live events http://getcoveredillinois.gov/events/ where people can get face to face help, rather than battle the web site alone.  These opportunities are especially good for those engaging in insurance for the first time. 

The Public Health community is gearing up to keep influenza rates down!  They've dedicated Dec. 8-14 as Vaccinate Illinois Week and IAFP is supporting the efforts. We encourage all our members, and their colleagues and staff members to get the flu vaccine and also help ensure their patients are vaccinated.  Here are some tools you can use!

Get some updated CME: Thanks to a grant from the Illinois Dept. of Public Health (IDPH), IAFP has produced primary care CME and complementary patient education materials to use for the 2013 flu vaccine season.  The high-quality CME is free and online anytime at www.iafp.com/education. 

Get the tools for your practice:  Link to the order form her for brochures, posters and an educational DVD video for your practice. You can access the video on the IAFP YouTube channel here, to post on your web site, download, or link from your social media patient education strategies.  

Medical Practice Act is on the move.  The Illinois House passed another one-year extension to the Medical Practice Act during the first week of veto session and we anticipate the Senate will consider it next week during the final week of veto session beginning November 5.

AAFP is collecting "success" stories about the Medicaid parity.  If you have received your Medicaid-Medicare parity payment please let us know whether or not the pay bump has made a difference and why (send to vkeenan@iafp.com)

CHICAGO MEMBERS - Ways You can Support the Proposed Cigarette Tax Hike

Mayor Rahm Emanuel presented his annual budget address to the Chicago City Council.  The Mayor's budget includes a 75-cent increase to the City's cigarette tax.

This proposal is part of the Mayor's ongoing efforts to reduce tobacco use among Chicago youth.  Studies show that increasing the price of tobacco products is the single most effective way to keep kids from picking up the habit in the first place.  The IAFP supports increased tobacco taxes to deter use and encourage quitting.  We are pleased to pass on to our Chicago members tools to use if you wish to contact your Alderman directly to support this proposal.

-Link to a list of contact information for Chicago City Council

-Link to sample language to use in a letter, email or phone call

-Link to a fact sheet about tobacco taxes

-Social Media: Use #Yes4CigTax

There will be a budget hearing on Wednesday November 13 and IAFP plans to provide live testimony at that time. 

FDA Recommends changes for Hydrocodone Combination Classification

The Illinois Academy of Family Physicians in partnership with the Arizona, Maryland, and Ohio chapters of the American Academy of Family Physicians is excited to announce a virtual nationwide SAM party centered on Maternity Care for Saturday, December 7, 2013 beginning at 8:00 a.m. CST. Mark your calendar now to participate and finish a SAM requirement by the end of the year!  The cost to register for the virtual SAM is $250 (ABFM fees still apply.)

The nationwide virtual SAM program will focus on the knowledge assessment portion of the module and allow learners to complete the clinical simulation separately at a time of their choosing within one calendar year of the virtual SAM. Once fully completed, the physician learner will receive 12 Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits and recognition for having completed the required stage for MC-FP.

No organization has ever developed a virtual learning session and delivered it nationwide to a large group of physician learners at the same time - it's groundbreaking! This cutting-edge program will bring the issues of maternity care directly into the physician's home or office with guidance from a peer expert and the comfort of completing the SAM with fellow family physician participants.

LIMITED to 20 Illinois participants - register by Monday, November 25.  Any registrations after the first 20 will be placed on a waiting list and be notified of their status by the end of the day Tuesday, November 26, 2013.

Register for the December 7th virtual SAMs here.    

Click here for a printable paper registration form. 

Illinois-specific perinatal quality collaborative kickoff

Register today!»

November 21, 2013 from 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Prentice Women's Hospital
250 E. Superior | Room L Chicago, IL 60611

6.5 AMA PRA Category 1 CME Credits Available

ICAAP Invites IAFP for Some ABC -

The 4th Annual ABC (Autism, Behavior, Complex Medical Needs) Conference, "Making Systems Work Across the Lifespan for Children with Special Needs" is Friday, November 22^nd at Moraine Business and Conference Center in Palos Hills, IL. Save your spot - register online today!
  With the advent of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, providers will need to be familiar with provisions of the law which will impact coverage, access, and health care delivery for children with complex medical needs. They will also need to understand how to support these patients as they transition to adulthood and navigate a multitude of systems. This conference will help you identify tools and protocols to coordinate effectively across systems, and formulate a plan to support adolescents with special health care needs and their families as they transition to adult care.

The conference brochure can be found here.
For more information, visit http://illinoisaap.org/projects/abc-autism-behavior-complex-medical-needs-conference/ or contact Elise Groenewegen, Coordinator, Early Childhood Development at egroenewegen@illinoisaap.com or 312/733-1026 ext. 204.

2014 Iowa Academy of Family Physicians Winter CME CRUISE

Royal Caribbean Jewel of the Seas 

January 25 - February 1, 2014

As the leaves being changing color this fall, we are reminded that cooler temperatures and snow are just around the corner. Help cure the winter blues by joining the Iowa Academy of Family Physicians on the 2014 Winter CME Getaway aboard the Royal Caribbean Jewel of the Seas. We will set sail January 25 - February 1, 2014 from San Juan, Puerto Rico. The cruise will give you a chance to escape the harsh Midwest winter, enjoy beautiful ports, and receive quality CME.

Click here to register.  The deadline is November 11.

Due to the nature of the meeting, Iowa AFP relies on attendees to speak on various topics. The Iowa AFP offers a $300 honorarium for each one hour presentation.  

AAFP Webinar on ACA for Small Businesses

Either login yourself, or ask a staff member or family member to take advantage of this opportunity! Tim Gaudette, outreach manager for Small Business Majority, will present a webinar, Small Business Health Insurance Option: What the ACA Means to Your Practice(transformed.adobeconnect.com)

Wednesday, November 6 at 1:00 p.m. CT.

The interactive webinar will give an overview of the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) small business provisions. Participants will learn specifics of the premium tax credits, information on the shared responsibility requirement, and stories and examples of what these changes will mean for physician small business owners.

The webinar is free, but pre-registration is recommended. 

Training on the Marketplace for you or your staff

EverThrive  (formerly the Illinois Maternal and Child Health Coalition) is doing four-hour presentations to build awareness about the Illinois Marketplace.  This does not qualify persons who attend to be marketplace-Certified Application Counselors but would be a "Marketplace 101" course.  Attendees will be equipped with information on how to connect communities to coverage.  Here is list of presentations.  Plans are underway for more presentations statewide in first quarter 2014. 

The Make Medicare Work Coalition will be hosting a webinar on November 18th  at 11:00 a.m. Central Time to review the Medicare Medicaid Financial Alignment Initiative (MMAI).  MMAI is a managed care program that will change the way that dual eligibles (people who are receiving FULL Medicare and Medicaid) receive their healthcare benefits. The project will begin to roll out in February 2014 and will affect the following counties:   Cook, Lake, Kane, DuPage, Will, Kankakee, Knox, Peoria, Tazewell, McLean, Logan, DeWitt, Sangamon, Macon, Christian, Piatt, Champaign, and Vermilion. If you wish to attend this webinar, please use the registration link below to sign up.  After you register, you will receive a confirmation link that you may use to attend the webinar on November 18th.   

Reserve your webinar seat now

Date: November 18, 2013

Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. CDT

MEDICAL DIRECTOR- Family and Adult Medicine at Erie Family Health Center

Site Medical Director for new Erie Waukegan site opening July 2014 - Apply at www.eriefamilyhealth.org
The Site Medical Director for Waukegan will collaborate with: the Site Health Center Operations Director regarding all aspects of site management; the Medical Directors for Family and Adult Medicine, Child and Adolescent Medicine, and Women's Health to recruit, retain, and develop clinical providers; improves the quality of care of patients at the site by working with site providers, QI and Erie provider leadership to establish evidence-based best practices for the site; leads the clinical team to insure cohesive care throughout the site; maintains referral relationships with the site's hospital partners; gets to YES with Erie's patients and employees to help provide service excellence.
Requirements: MD or D.O from accredited institution, licensed physician in Illinois. Additional master's level degree in public health, management and administration or equivalent experience, preferred. Board Certified in primary care discipline. Federal DEA license, CPR certification. Two or more years of clinical primary care experience. Previous leadership experience preferred. Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred, proficiency in medical Spanish required.

If you have a news item to share, email it to Ginnie Flynn at gflynn@iafp.com.